


Seven Days and Counting

by viciouswishes



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-01-01
Updated: 2008-01-01
Packaged: 2017-10-20 02:39:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/207888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viciouswishes/pseuds/viciouswishes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jayne tells her to turn off that damn music. It's eerie. The ship has enough ghosts as it is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seven Days and Counting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lilyayl (Ailelie)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailelie/gifts).



Jayne tells her to turn off that damn music. It's eerie. The ship has enough ghosts as it is.

River dances like they're on some gorram planet with the sun shining and plenty of fresh fruit. She grins like a fool; Jayne wants to shake her. Pop her head like the top of an A-Juice can.

Jayne stays away from her: lives either in the cockpit or in his bunk and listens to the sounds of feet on the metal floors.

"Boo," River says when Jayne joins her in the mess. "You're not quite white as a ghost."

"Getting there."

Rivers picks up the stethoscope she's taken to wearing around her neck. "Have you been coughing?" She tires to place the cold round metal against Jayne's chest.

Jayne blocks her with his hand. "I'm fine."

"Don't want you to go out like the others." River frowns. Jayne's convinced that both of them are immune to what took the rest of the crew, but River's still not so sure.

"Quarantine's almost over." Seven days and counting. Jayne plans to land them on the nearest moon and get the stink of recycled air from his clothing. Maybe pick up some supplies or a new crew. Jayne likes the title of Captain attached to his name.

"Where are we going to bury them?"

"Don't know. Probably some deserted moon." Burying will be first on the list of chores. Even with refrigeration, Jayne swears he smells corpses.

"Jayne."

"Yeah?" He cuts open a can of protein supplements, dumping half on a plate for him and another half for her.

"Did you really promise Simon?"

"Yep." Just one of the many things Jayne's still in disbelief that he did. "And if you keep playing that _shénjingbìng_ noise I might take it back." River looks like she's going to cry; Jayne shakes his head. "You've grown on me."

"Like fungus," River answers.

Jayne laughs and Rivers dances around to her scratchy violins. She'll keep on dancing until it's over; until Jayne accepts that River's all he has.


End file.
